Apparatus for beach building



Nov. 2, 1965 B. N. MARTIN 3,214,916

APPARATUS FOR BEACH BUILDING Filed June 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 55/701 B man M/VJPTM INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Nov. 2, 1965 B. N. MARTIN 3,214,916

APPARATUS FOR BEACH BUILDING Filed June 5, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 34804 J flair/Ar ATTORNEYS AHA E 550 United States Patent 3,214,916 APPARATUS FOR BEACH BUILDING Byron N. Martin, Char-don, Ohio, assignor of one-half to David J. Eardley, Chardon, Ohio Filed June 5, 1964, Ser. No. 372,845 3 Claims. (Cl. 614) This invention relates to an improved apparatus for building and protecting beaches and banks where water currents tend to wash the land away and erosion action occurs.

Heretofore, many attempts have been made to both build up beaches or banks, as along the shores of lakes,

streams or the oceans, and prevent the natural erosion action of currents and waves from carrying sand, silt and the like away from the shores of such bodies of water. For example, large rocks or concrete breakwalls have been placed along shores in the path of the water to slow the movement of the water toward and away from the shore and accordingly to slow its washing action. These have not proved generally satisfactory since the great force of the water moving toward the shore tends to undermine the foundations and they do not permit rapid deposit of sand and silt. As used along the shores of the Great Lakes, these rock and concrete breakwalls are placed in position at high cost and have been inefiective in many places to prevent destruction of the shore by the water.

Devices have also been proposed for breakwaters or means for causing deposit of water borne sand which consist of metal walls which have a series of vanes or doors which open in only one or in both directions of flow. These types are disclosed, for example, in US. Patent No. 2,655,790, Daley, and in U.S. Patent No. 226,772, Mueller. These devices have the advantage that they compensate for the great force of the water moving toward the shore by permitting the water to flow through the breakwater and do not dissipate a large proportion of the waters energy by allowing a great impact on the breakwater as is the case with conventional stone and concrete breakwaters. However, these devices have also not been entirely satisfactory.

In the case of a metal wall which has vanes or doors which open in both directions, the water is often permitted to how away from the shore more rapidly than desired. On the other hand, panels which have doors which open in one direction toward the shore have the disadvantage that, as deposits build up by not permitting the water to flow rapidly away from the shore, these deposits reach a level at which the door or vane is wedged in an open position. This permits undesired erosion of the deposit.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a rapid, economical and effective means for building the shores and banks of a body of water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means for locking the doors or vanes of a breakwater panel of the above type in a closed position before the level of deposits can wedge such doors in an open position.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partial plan view of a breakwater or barrier panel and door locking means according to the invention viewed from the shore side of the panel;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section along AA of FIG- URE 1 showing a panel according to the invention before deposits have reached the point where the doors in the panel are locked in a closed position;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of two panels according 3,214,916 Patented Nov. 2, 1965 to the invention illustrating the formation of a barrier unit and the function of the locking means during beach build up; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan view showing diagrammatically several interconnected panels according to the invention indicating a typical pattern of use.

The form of the invention shown especially in FIG- URES l, 2 and 3 comprises a wall or barrier preferably consisting of a plurality of panels 2. Each panel 2 has at least one opening or cut out defined by the dotted lines in FIGURE 1 and shown at 4 in FIGURES 2 and 3. A hinged door or vane 6 covers at least one opening and is pivotally mounted on hinges 8 so that it opens only in one direction, that is, toward the beach or shore. The panels are typically mounted on posts 10 which are embedded firmly in the bed of soil below the water. Each door or vane 6 carries a door locking bar 12 which is pivotally connected to the door by means of hinges 14.

A plurality of these panels are preferably mounted in a series vertically as shown in FIGURES l and 3 to the height desired. This height is typically up to about the level of the water or a maximum of about eighteen to twenty inches above it.

In building a beach the panels are typically mounted a short distance from shore. A steel plate 16 is usually driven into the bed under the water to compensate for possible irregularities in the floor. Panels 6 are then mounted in vertical series to the desired height employing posts 10 and other supports not shown to hold the panels firmly in position. The panels are also held in place by means of overlapping joints 3.

As water flowing toward the shore impinges on the panels it causes the doors 6, not locked closed, to open toward the beach which permits the water to flow through the panels. This is shown, for example, by the dotted line position of the top panel in FIGURE 3. As the water flows back away from the shore the doors are forced closed thus permitting the suspended material in the water to be deposited between the shore and the panels.

An essential feature of the invention resides in the provision of locking bar 12. Referring to FIGURE 2, as the build up of deposits reaches a point on line AB, below line MQ, bar 12 is wedged into the deposits. This holds the door 6 in a closed position shown and pre vents the erosion of deposits through opening 4 which occurs when door 6 is wedged in the open position at a point along line MP. The length of the locking bar 12, i.e., the length of line IA, and the position of hinges 14 on door 6 must be such that the door is locked in the closed position at least before the level of deposited material reaches about point M and preferably below a point on line MQ. If the length of bar 12 is too short, with the position of binge 14 at point I, the door 6 locks not at point M, but at an undesired point on line MP.

The lock bar swings toward the shore as shown, for example, along lines CD, EF and GH when the door is respectively at open point N, O and P and the lock hinge at I, K and L. The lock bar 12 when moving away from the beach is permitted to swing about its hinge axis or drag along the deposited material until the locking position along line AB below line MQ is reached.

It will be appreciated that the panels may be constructed as to weight and size in accordance with the anticipated water impact and force from the deposited sand and silt after maximum accumulation. Ordinarily the panels are about 6 feet long and about 18 inches wide and are made of rigid material such as steel, iron, aluminum, rigid plastics and the like.

Various known means may be employed for supporting the panels in the water, and the walls or units formed by a vertical or substantially vertical series of these panels may be typically positioned in a pattern as shown in 3 FIGURE 4. The units 18 may be interconnected at supporting posts by known interlocking joints not shown. Typically the units are held in position by supporting posts 10 and 20 and connecting cables 22 in combination with support struts or braces 24. These posts or struts may be driven into or'fastened tothe bottom of the body of water and may be metal or wooden posts, reinforced concrete or the like.

Thelength or width of the lock bar, that is, either the distance between hinge 14 and the base of bar 12 or the distance the base of the bar extends parallel to the door 6, may be varied by known means not shown. The desired length or width, for example, may be provided by using a sleeved tube and bolt connection. Thus by .providing a lock bar of variable size the bar can be adapted to close the door well in advance of the deposits building up to the bottom of the door or at a point just short of the doors Wedging in an open position.

The doors or vanes 6 and the lock bars 12 are hung preferably on a plurality of hinges, desirably three hinges, since this allows less weight or pressure on each hinge. Use of three or more hinges also minimizes the possibility of a panel slipping out of position should one of the hinges break or come loose.

It will also be appreciated that the panels 6 may be constructed so that the hinges 14 may be bolted, welded or otherwise connected to the panel at varying positions toward the top or bottom of the panel. This permits variation of the lock bar to the desired position before or while the panel is in the water and permits variation of the locking position without changing the length of the locking bar.

I claim:

1. A barrier adapted to be positioned in the path of moving water to protect shores from erosion and to build up said shores by deposition of suspended matter from the Water comprising (a) an upright rigid panel having a plurality of horizontal openings therethrough,

(b) a separate door provided for each of said openings and depending from a horizontal pivot on the panel and swingable from a limited vertical position completely covering its respective opening, each door swingable in a direction upwardly that is common to each of the remaining doors for controlling passage of water through the opening, and

(c) a separate locking bar provided for each door and being hinged to the lower portion thereof, each bar being dependent vertically below the bottom of its respective door and swingable in the same direction as its door when the door is in its vertical position whereby the bar will wedge in deposited material to lock the door in its closed position.

2. A barrier as in claim 1 wherein said bar comprises three parallel arms having upper terminal ends hinged to said door and lower end portions interconnected to a common body portion for embedment in the deposit.

3. A barrier unit adapted to be positioned in the path of moving water to protect shores from erosion and to build up said shores by deposition of suspended matter from the Water comprising (a) a series of interconnected upright panels having a plurality of horizontal openings therethrough,

(b) a separate door provided for each of said openings and depending from a horizontal pivot on the panel and swingable from a limited vertical position completely covering its respective opening, each door swingable in a direction upwardly that is common to each of the remaining doors for controlling passage of water through the opening, and

(c) a separate locking bar provided for each door comprising three parallel arms having upper terminal ends hinged to said door and lower end portions interconnected to a common body portion for embedment in deposited material, the lower end portions of the bar being dependent vertically below the bottom of their respective doors, the bar being swingable in the same direction as its door when the door is in its vertical position whereby the bar will wedge in deposited material to lock the door in its closed position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 226,772 4/80 Mueller 61-25 303,128 8/84 Dean 615 325,127 8/85 Spangler 614 3,011,316 12/61 Wilson 61-4 EARL WITMER, Primary Examiner, 

